Woo hoo, it’s Friday! I bet you’re all super excited it’s almost the weekend, I know I am! To make your Friday (hopefully) even better, I’m going to share another free knitting pattern with you all!

I’ve recently been obsessing over the knit headband trend, and since I’m back in a colder climate, I decided to make one for myself! After searching endlessly for a pattern I liked, I finally found this pattern from the blog Transient Expression. I completed the headband and while it’s super cute, it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. So a new search began for the perfect pattern. I’ve come to realize the reason I rarely buy new clothes, shoes or accessories is because I’m constantly looking for the perfect item. I’m not sure yet if that’s a good or bad quality, but in this case I think it was definitely good. My desire for perfection pushed me to create a brand new pattern, and now I have a knit headband that I LOVE!

After a little bit of trial and error at the start, I eventually perfected the Cable Knit Headband Pattern and here it is for all of you to try out. Happy Knitting!

Slip 4 stitches onto your cable needle and hold it in front of your work (this is part of the C8F)

Knit 4 stitches from knitting needle (C8F)

Knit stitches from your cable needle to complete C8F

Complete Row 7. This is what the cable twist will look like

Repeat rows 2-7 until desired length, for me it was when the whole piece measured 15 ½ inches long. It’s best to make it a bit tight, since the headband will stretch.

Bind off, sew seams together, weave in ends and then you’re done!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions in the comments section. If any of you make a headband for yourself, I’d love to see photos of your completed project! AND if you don’t know how to knit or simply don’t have the time, I’m excited to announce that I’m in the process of opening an Etsy shop! So hopefully in the near future you’ll be able to buy some of the knitting products you see on here!

Hi guys, so today I’m super excited to share my very first knitting pattern with you all!

I was a pretty avid knitter in high school and college, but involuntarily took a break from it while I was focusing on acting in LA. One of the reasons I started this blog was to share my progress in improving new skills, as well as old skills that got pushed aside. I recently started knitting again because I wanted to make a beard hat for my boyfriend Daniel.

I had a lot of trouble finding a knit beard pattern I liked, especially a free one. I found a pattern that was pretty close to what I wanted, but when I tried it out, I couldn’t get some of the rows to turn out correctly. I adapted it in a way that made more sense to me, and decided to write out the pattern for anyone looking for more beard hat options! Please bear in mind though – this is the first pattern I’ve written out, so it may be a little rough around the edges.

Here’s what you need:

Size 8 (5 mm) needles

Worsted weight wool, acrylic, or blend yarn in a natural color (I used a dark brown)

Needle for weaving in ends

Gauge: 16 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches in moss stitch

Here’s what you do:

Cast on 55 stitches.

Rows 1-2: Moss stitch. For those unfamiliar, to create a moss stitch you knit the purls and purl the knits. You will be using moss stitch for the entire pattern.

Row 3: K20, BO15, and then continue the row and K20. You are creating the mouth opening.

Row 4: Knit 20, CO15…

Turn work to the right side…

And then knit the rest of Row 4.

Here’s what the finished mouth opening will look like.

Row 5-10: Continue moss stitch until the beard just reaches the bottom of your chin. It was row 10 for me!

Now you will start your decreases to shape the bottom of the beard.

Row 11: BO7, knit the rest of the row (48 st. remaining).

Row 12: BO7, knit the rest of the row (41 st. remaining).

Decrease using the following pattern. You will have 25 st. remaining

Rows 13-16: K2tog, knit the rest of the row.

Rows 17-20: K2tog, K2tog, knit the rest of the row.

Rows 21-24: K2tog, knit the rest of the row.

Bind off the remaining 25 stitches and weave in ends.

I chose to fasten buttons on each end of the beard, and then (with my uncrafty ways) pulled each button through a stitch on the hat I made. Very technical, I know. You could certainly create button holes in the hat you’re using, I chose not to in case Daniel wanted to wear it without the beard.

You can use any technique you’d like to attach the beard to your hat – elastic, sew it on directly, buttons, etc. Whatever works for you!

Hi everyone! Sorry about the decrease in posts lately – I just got over a pretty bad bug and I’m just now getting back into the swing of things. I’m not really sure what I had, but it involved a lot of sinus and chest congestion (I think it was on the cusp of bronchitis). I managed to entirely cure myself naturally, which I’m pretty excited about! Now I want to share the home remedies for sinus and chest congestion that I used.

There were a few key remedies that I believe really helped me feel better quickly. A bunch of them involved using Eucalyptus Oil. I had never used it before, but kept seeing a lot of pins about it being great for congestion and phlegm. Well, it was all true!

One of my favorite ways of using eucalyptus was when I steamed. Steaming is already a great way to help relieve sinus congestion and break up phlegm in your chest. Adding in 3-4 drops of eucalyptus oil helped clear up my congestion even quicker and gave me instant relief! I simply filled a large pot halfway with water, added in the eucalyptus once the water boiled, and then put a towel over my head to keep the steam in.

I breathed the steam in deeply for about 10 minutes, and I did this three times a day. I even added 4-5 drops to the bottom of my tub when I took a shower. If your shower is hot enough, it has the same effect as steaming. It made a huge difference in my morning, since we all know that when you have congestion and phlegm it builds up, making you feel worse in the morning.

I also relieved my congestion by adding eucalyptus oil into my detox baths. If you saw my original post, you know I love taking detox baths when I’m fighting a cold or flu. I used my typical base recipes and then added about 10-12 drops of eucalyptus into the bath. Oh man! I felt AMAZING after soaking for about 30 minutes!

Towards the end of this bug, the congestion started going deeper into my chest and I started developing a cough. This is when I started rubbing eucalyptus into my chest right before bed. It has the same effect as Vicks, but I read that when you massage the oil in, it actually breaks up the mucus/phlegm. Straight oil can be irritating to your skin though, so I rubbed coconut oil on my chest first, and then a few drops of eucalyptus on top of that. I massaged my chest for about 1 minute.

Also on Pinterest, I read that the best way to suppress a cough is to rub a few drops of eucalyptus oil into the soles of your feet. Because I was also rubbing eucalyptus into my chest, I’m not exactly sure which remedy attributed to preventing my cough, or if it was the combination of both. Either way, when I started doing these remedies I was able to get a good night’s sleep cough free!

Eucalyptus oil provided the most immediate relief for my symptoms. From what I’ve read: it’s antibacterial, anti-flammatory, analgesic and antifungal. So basically, not only does it relieve symptoms, but it also helps to heal them instead of just masking them. I picked up a bottle at Whole Foods, but I’m sure you can find it at any health food store.

My next remedy comes from a time when I was battling chronic bronchitis. It’s when I first moved to LA, and I think it had something to do with adjusting to a different climate, and a weakened immune system from a case of mono. It was a miserable time for me, and I was desperate to find a natural solution to cut the phlegm and minimize a whooping cough. After a few Googling attempts, I found one of my favorite remedies: Pineapple Juice.

Pineapple juice naturally thins mucus and phlegm, plus it’s packed with vitamin C, which will boost your immune system. Not to mention it’s delicious! I had a glass with every meal, and a small glass right before bed to help prevent mucus build-up while I slept.

The third remedy I used during this illness was Apple Cider Vinegar. I have to admit, I think I drove my boyfriend crazy whenever I was sick. Any time I started to feel under the weather, he suggested I have a glass of apple cider vinegar, but I always refused. And I KNOW how many wonderful health benefits it has, but I just couldn’t get pass the taste and smell. Until this bug, that is. I felt SO congested that the potent smell could not deter me, but I was determined to make it taste (somewhat) good!

Here’s what I did:

In a mug of hot water, I stirred in 2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 teaspoons of Honey, and 1-2 tablespoons of Lemon Juice.

There are multiple reasons this drink is a great remedy for congestion and mucus/phlegm: Apple Cider Vinegar, like pineapple juice, thins mucus. Honey helps fight infections and soothes your throat. Lemon also thins mucus, gives you extra vitamin c, and helps flush toxins out of your body. Warm liquids are also soothing to your throat and help break up mucus.

I had this drink three times a day, and like the other home remedies I shared, it gave me instant relief while actually helping me get better (instead of just masking symptoms).

There you have it, these were the main home remedies for sinus and chest congestion that were most beneficial for me. While I hope none of you catch the flu, if you do, I hope these remedies will help speed up your recovery!

Disclaimer: I am in no way a doctor, and these home remedies are only suggestions of what worked for me. They are not intended as a diagnosis or prescription, and should not be in place of medical treatment and/or advice from a professional. Please always consult your doctor first, before trying any home remedies.

HI!

My name’s Michele, and lil bit is a blog about, well, a ‘lil bit’ of everything! I love food and to travel, I recently moved to Portland and am exploring the city, I am a self-proclaimed “uncrafty crafter” trying to become a better DIY-er, but most of all -- I am a 20-something girl trying to find the right path, my path, in this crazy but amazing world.